No Pain No Gain?

One of the challenges of the newbie barista is one most people might find surprising. It’s the barista tattoo. Most hip baristas I know have at least one, and are always planning on getting a tattoo.

I, as a scaredy-cat and with a somewhat anti-tattoo mindset, am seriously getting a coffee tattoo once we drive across the country. To show my dedication to the barista-craft, or maybe to pledge myself to the coffee sorority I made up in my head, that only has tattooed, badass latte artists as members.

I really am very impressed with others’ tattoos, and I am very fond of them. But it wasn’t until I saw a demitasse tattoo that I really got the idea. So, these are my two main ideas for a tat these days:

1. The mid-pour rosetta tat, based on tonx’s amazing photo:

I think I would like just an outline of the rosetta, with no pitcher or crema.

2. The lelani lanes coffee mug:

This logo would be on a diner mug. Amazingly enough, there aren’t any pictures of one on the internet!

This was my first “barista” mug, that I left at the 1369 so I could have my own 12oz cup to pour with. Mom gave it to me. Ultimately I bequeathed it to my successors at that shop, and now it’s long gone.

That being said, I am wicked scared of the following things: pain, regret, and did I mention pain? So I am going to research the least painful place to get it, and where I might not necessarily see it all the time. That still doesn’t stop the fact that I could get kicked out of the coffee club at any time and then I’d have this stupid squiggly line or coffee mug tattooed on me forever and ever. So it’s still a debate. I just thought I’d share.

2 Responses to “No Pain No Gain?”

I say go for it. The way I feel about the issue of how permanent it is… even if you “get kicked out of the coffee club” or whatever, it was still a big part of your life now, and something that you’ll want to remember as part of your life now. So even if you’re a different person later, it was still a part of you now.

That said, don’t get “cream” and “sugar” tattoo’d across your tits or anything.